26 THE BATTLE OF VENTRY. 



460 ' A chlanna Ronain,' arsa Finn ' cuirim ar bhar cumairce 7 ar bhar n-eineach 

 gan mac righ Ulad do leigean docum an allmuraig.' Eirghis Cailti 7 clannmaicne 

 Ronain uili 7 fa habair mor dhoibh uili a congmhail 7 do cuireadh glais 7 geibhinn 

 fair. 7 an cean do bas 'ga ghabail-sen dochuadar a dha chomalta decc do comrac 

 risan allmurach 7 nir airigh an fian lad gur [fo. 6 a. i.] thuitsead leis 7 gur bhean 



465 a dha cheann dec dibh. 7 do leig a ghuth miled a n-uachtar a chinn ac commaidem 

 an ghnima sin. ' Cred fa n-dhenann an t-alimurach so.-" ar mac righ Ulad. ' Is 

 truagh duit-si an t-adhbhar/ar Conan mac Morna *.i. ac commaidem do dha comalta 

 dec-sa ata.' 'Truagh an scel sin, a dhuine,' ar mac rig Ulad '7 a fiana Eirenn,' 

 ar se ' budh fada a foltanus dibh mo congbail mar so, uair do ghiab-sa bas d' feirg 



4707 d' aithmhela 7 is oraibh-se bhias a foltanas,' ar sd '7 bhudh eascaraid sibh 7 Ulaid 

 da eis choidhchi 7 do bo beac a dith dibh-si tuitim leisan allmurach ud dam-sa 

 suil do congbadh sib mar so me.' 



Dochuaidh imoro an comradh sin fo fianaib Eirenn 7 ro scailead aca de. Is ann 

 sin ro ghabh an mac sin arm a sean 7 a seinnsear 7 ro ghabh scuirdleinidh sroill 



475 7 gormluireach grismaileach ghlaisleabar 7 orsciath imealchorcra 7 coiler cumdachta 

 caelreangach cimasghel 7 da craisigh cheannghlasa cheannleathna croremra 7 cloi- 

 dheamh crosordha cumdaigh. 7 ruc ruathar a n-agaidh an allmuraig fon innas sin. 

 7 meabais gean gaire ar an allmurach im a faiscsin chuigi 7 do thogbadar sluaigh an 



* Ye children of Ronan,' said Finn, * I charge you by your pledge and honour, not to 

 let the son of the king of Ulster go against the foreigner.' Cailte and all the children 

 of Ronan arose, and it was heavy work for them all to bind him, and fetters and bonds 

 were put on him, And while they were holding him, his twelve foster-brothers went to 

 fight with the foreigner, and the fiann did not notice them, till they had fallen by him, and 

 till he had struck off their twelve heads. And he sent forth his \varrior's voice at the 

 top of his head, boasting of that deed. * What does the foreigner do this for ?' said the 

 son of the king of Ulster. ' Sad for thee is the reason,' said Conan the son of Morna, 

 ' for he is boasting of thy twelve foster-brothers.' ' Sad is that story, O man,' said the 

 son of the king of Uister, ' and O ye fianns of Erinn, long will be the blame for this on 

 you, to keep me like this, for I shall die of anger and shame, and it is upon you that 

 the blame will be,' said he, 'and ye and the men of Ulster will be foes after this for ever, 

 and sniall would have been the loss for you, if I had fallen by yon foreigner, before 

 ye bound me hke this.' 



Now, this speech went round among the fianns of Erinn,and he was loosened by them 

 on accouiit of it. Thcn that boy took the weapons of his eiders and of his seniors, and 



put on a shirt of silk and a grey- grey long blue coat of mail, and a 



golden shield with purple borders, and an ornamented slender-wrinkled white-edged 

 collar, and two biue-pointed broad-headed stout-socketed spears, and an ornamented 

 sword with a golden cross-hilt. And he made a rush against the foreigner in that 

 wise. And the foreigner smiled when he saw him approaching, and the whole army of 



